Neighbors Wary Of Airport Expansion

June 19, 1991|By MARK STEINBERG Staff Writer

JAMES CITY (COUNTY) — Neighbors of the Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport have encouraged the Board of Supervisors to accept a proposal in the revised Comprehensive Plan that would help prevent expansion of the airport.

``The airport is a good neighbor,'' said Monty McCarty, representing the Rolling Woods Homeowners Association, during a public hearing Monday on the proposed plan. ``It should be maintained at its present level, but there has been too much development over the years to allow any type of expansion,'' he said.

Under the proposed Comprehensive Plan, the county's long-term planning document, the airport has been designated as low density residential. The current plan designates the airport for limited industry.

Much of the area surrounding the airport has been developed as single family housing.

The airport is one of several parcels in which the proposed land-use map differs from what exists on the ground. County planners have told the board that this is a tool used to discourage expansion of some types of development.

County planning director Marvin Sowers said Tuesday that under the county's special use permit ordinance, if the airport's owners wanted to expand the airport facilities, county planners would consider whether the proposed expansion would be directly related to the airport's needs or unrelated commercial development.

Larry Waltrip, who owns the airport with his wife, Jean, told the board that the Comprehensive Plan ``is not doing us justice.''

Waltrip said he has been working with state aviation officials on a master plan for an airport expansion that would include what he called ``high-tech offices,'' a new flight school building and a second restaurant.

``We're in limbo. Let's loosen up the reins a little bit so we can maintain excellence,'' said Waltrip.

Richard W. Coakley, a former member of the Board of Supervisors and chairman of the Jamestown Civic Association, asked that the board retain the low density residential designation for the land.

``We do not understand why it's been designated as limited industry on previous plans,'' said Coakley.